What does avaunt mean?
Avaunt is an archaic English exclamation used to command someone to go away or depart, roughly equivalent to "begone!" It appears most famously in the works of Shakespeare and other Elizabethan and Jacobean dramatists, where characters use it to dismiss servants, banish enemies, or drive off supernatural apparitions. The word derives from the Old French phrase meaning "forward" or "in front," ultimately tracing back to Latin roots related to moving ahead, which explains its secondary, now largely obsolete sense of "forward" or "before." In contemporary English, avaunt survives only in literary quotation, historical fiction, and comedic or deliberately archaic register. Its forceful, imperious sound makes it an evocative choice for writers seeking to evoke early modern speech or grandiose dismissal.
Used as an exclamation to command someone to go away or depart.
""Avaunt, and quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee!" (adapted from Shakespeare's Macbeth)."
Chiefly archaic and literary; encountered mainly in Renaissance drama and pastiche.
(Obsolete) Forward; before; in front.
"The trumpets sounded and the army marched avaunt."
This sense is now obsolete or extremely rare.
Shakespeare loved this word for dramatic dismissals—when a character shouts 'Avaunt!', you know someone is about to be very firmly told to leave.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of avaunt
Avaunt comes from Middle English, borrowed from Old French 'avant,' meaning 'forward' or 'in front,' which itself derives from Late Latin 'abante' ('from before'). The same French root gives English words such as advance, advantage, and vanguard, all carrying the sense of being at or moving to the front. The word entered English in the medieval period and was well established by the sixteenth century, when it became a favorite of dramatists for its forceful, dismissive quality.
How avaunt is actually used
A highly literary and archaic term, found almost exclusively in historical texts, Shakespearean drama, and deliberate pastiche or fantasy writing. Using it in modern conversation would be humorous or affected. It carries a tone of haughty command or theatrical dismissal.
Easily confused with avaunt
'Vaunt' means to boast or brag about something, while 'avaunt' is an exclamation telling someone to go away.
'Avant' is a noun/adjective element meaning the front or vanguard (as in 'avant-garde'), whereas 'avaunt' is an exclamatory command to depart.